


Soul Siblings

by Fiobri



Series: Eternal Cycle [14]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Magic, Pacifist Frisk (Undertale), Protective Siblings, Siblings, Soul Bond, The Fallen children, Triplets, Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:13:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23295313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiobri/pseuds/Fiobri
Summary: With one sacrifice and one decision in another life, one became three and the three fell down Mt. Ebott. The monsters only needed one more Soul but what are they to do with a trio who is fiercely pacifistic and even more fiercely protective of each other?Or the one where Frisk, Trace, and Drew came into being.Cycle 5 067. Trick Cycle, Undertale.
Relationships: Frisk & Sans (Undertale), Frisk & Toriel (Undertale), Sans & Toriel (Undertale), Toriel (Undertale) & Original Character(s)
Series: Eternal Cycle [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1314257
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Exactly what it says. How Trace got her name and her siblings. Oh, and how they freed the Underground in their first life together. 
> 
> If you're new to Eternal Cycles I suggest reading the first book/story of the series before picking everything else in whatever order you like. Though you'll probably get the gist of it if you just read along. 
> 
> Here's some terminology to help if you don't wanna read the first part:  
> \- Cyclist: A person who repeatedly gets born into different worlds.  
> \- Cycle: One life for a Cyclist.  
> \- Can Cycle: Cycle with canon story and next to no changes. It doesn't matter what time it starts.  
> \- Trick Cycle: Cycle with story differences, small or big. They have to be noticeable.  
> \- Mix Cycle: Cycle with two or more stories somehow combined. Crossover.  
> \- Trace: The first Cyclist. A girl, most of the time.  
> \- Rina: Trace's other-self/inner-self/first-self.  
> \- Drew: Trace's sibling/brother.  
> \- Frisk: Trace's sibling. Gender neutral.

There was just something about the triplets that no one could ever put their finger on. 

Yes, they were identical in appearance. But they weren't so creepily similar in personalities, no. The boy was loud and charismatic, getting people to listen and braving on in tough situations. The girl was smart and reserved but stuck by her siblings unwaveringly, never too far from either and not afraid to speak her mind. The third… no one was ever sure if they were a girl or a boy. They had their brother's enthusiasm and charisma but their sister's quietness and awareness. They didn't like speaking though. 

That was all, well, almost normal. But if you talked to them, not that many did, you could sense something… else. 

Maybe it was the way they seemed so aware of each other, like they were of the same mind when doing… anything, really. Or maybe the way their voices blended together when they finished a sentence together. Maybe it was the unnerving kindness and determination in their eyes that said they saw right through you. One or all might be the reason why no one really seemed to talk to them or see them. Why they forgot them even though triplets were unusual. Or maybe it was the forgetting that made them unnerving. 

Either way the orphan trio went from foster home to foster home, never quite remembered, never quite accepted, never wavering in their resolve to find their place and help wherever they went. 

And it never did waver. Not even when running away from a child trafficker ring that had taken to snatching up foster children from the more faulty homes and the fosterer who had sold them. Not even in the wilderness they were chased to or when they walked up and up the mountain everyone was scared to wander. 

Mt. Ebott. The one where children disappeared. 

And so did they. At least for a little bit. 

xXXx

Tracy led her siblings up the mountain with her heart hammering in her throat. All the stupid things that wanted them here finally  _ got _ them here. It was annoying but she  _ had _ to come here and let the 'story' take its course. 

"Trace, are they gone?", her brother, Drew (short from Andrew) asked hushedly and she turned for a split second to shake her head. She could hear them. 

They wouldn't stop chasing until the trio fell into the mountain, that was for certain. That's what this world wanted. She was super annoyed with it at the moment since she'd gotten split in her last life and the split parts now formed her triplet siblings but decided to nix her bond with Rina for the Cycle. After how the last life ended and how disoriented she woke up… she hadn't wanted to be alone.

Alas, she not only had to look after herself but her two innocent and  _ newly born _ parts of herself that would get themselves hurt or worse by curious nature and that selflessness she had kept up in her final moments the last time. Was still upkeeping for all of their sakes.  _ Everyone's _ sake. 

Francis' hand tightened on hers and tugged her some other way and Trace followed easily enough. Drew followed, trying to be quiet in his steps. 

"Frisk", Drew hissed, "It's dark in there, let me lead"

That was another point to Drew. He was protective of them. Naturally at first but… more after an… incident. Trace didn't really want to think about it. She'd been desperate and Frisk had almost died. She shuddered. She didn't want to lose them. These two… These two were different. They kept her grounded when Rina wasn't here. And they might have been her once but now… now they were different people. 

Hers. They were hers. And she knew she'd keep them with her in the next life, even if they would be just imprints upon her whole self then. Her very existence ached at the thought. 

But right now… she braced herself and felt the barrier  _ pull _ . Drew yelped, Frisk inhaled sharply, and she just let herself fall with them. Down, down, down, magic swirling and she reached out to it, eyes closing, Soul pulsing as they passed through. She guided it to cover her siblings, reaching for their presence and willing them to be safe. 

Then darkness. 

xXXx

Drew groaned and blinked groggily, squinting at daylight coming from above. Only a small sliver of it  _ waaaay _ up was coming through a hole…? 

Wait. They'd- 

He sat up abruptly, head pounding with a deep seated ache, and saw his siblings lying next to him haphazardly. They were so still. His heart was in his throat as he reached for Trace and touched her cheek. Her face was slack and her other pigtail had almost come undone. She was their wisdom and guide, always having a solution or several, a loving hand in a world that didn't care. No one  _ got _ them but they themselves and if they lost one- 

Drew slammed that train of thought off its rails. 

"Trace, wake up!", he pleaded and shook her shoulder lightly, "You're breathing, you  _ gotta _ be fine, so  _ wake up! _ " 

Her face screwed up and she squinted up at him through almost closed eyelids, "...Drew?" 

He let out a breath and turned to his other sibling who was… blinking tiredly at the ceiling of the deep cave they fell in. Frisk's nose wrinkled and they seemed to be confused. Trace had sat up and was now staring at their surroundings with apprehension. 

"I think someone lives here", she told them and Drew looked around to see a gate. 

An open gate. No doors. And the place looked man-made anyway. Okay then. His sister was usually right so he believed her. Frisk was now sitting and rubbing their forehead. He noticed. 

"You got a headache too?" 

His sibling shook their head and made a wagging motion with their hand. Dizzy then. Trace seemed fine. Then again, she did that even when she was in pain. Though only if they couldn't afford to attend to it at the time. Drew focused back on looking around. 

"Do you think they'll find us here?", he asked and an uncomfortable trickle of fear churned in his stomach. 

Trace shook her head with a quirk of her lips and his shoulders sagged in relief. Frisk stood up and stepped off the sturdy yellow flowers they'd dropped on and stared examining them. Drew was intrigued and looked down too. They were big and yellow. Or golden. More yellow though. Cool! He didn't know such big flowers existed. Some were bigger than his head. 

"Huh. I think they're buttercups", Trace muttered, running a finger over one petal, "They're lucky to get sunlight here" 

Drew did  _ not _ know buttercups could get that big. He noted that the patch was the only place there with any kind of growth and shuddered at the thought of landing anywhere else but on the flowers. He promptly turned to the flowers solemnly and nodded his head, thankful. 

"Thank you so much for breaking our fall, buttercups", he told them sincerely. 

His siblings looked at him, Trace with amused pride and Frisk with a startled expression. They both promptly followed his example and Drew felt himself glow. Trace even apologized for falling on them in the first place. It might've been just him but he thought the flowers seemed brighter somehow. 

They were all quiet for a moment. Uncharacteristically, Frisk broke the silence. 

"What now?", their voice was uncertain. 

Drew was forced to think again. On the other hand, he was glad that they couldn't get snatched by bad people now. On the other, they were in an unfamiliar place with unknown people living in it. And the bad people could go after someone else now that they had escaped! 

"We- We gotta find out where we are and- and who lives here. Then get out so… you know!", he fumbled over a suitable plan and willed them to understand the rest. 

His sister seemed approving. If a bit worried. Okay, she definitely looked worried. Frisk looked resolute. They were all for the plan. It was great how often they were of the same mind. He grinned at them and turned towards the dark gate. He had no idea what laid there and he was a little scared… but he braved through it and started walking forward, hands grabbing his siblings' as they went. A united front. Just like they should be. 

xXXx

"Howdy!" 

Whatever Frisk had expected when they stepped through that gate doorway thingy it  _ wasn't  _ a talking buttercup. Flowey the Flower. They stared blankly, not sure what to make of this. The flower  _ seemed _ friendly enough and they could see Drew already warming up to it. Him. Ugh. 

For some reason they couldn't shake the uneasy feeling. 

So. They did what they did whenever they were uncertain. And glanced at Trace. She seemed guarded. That clinched it. Her mistrust justified their own reaction. They let Drew talk to Flowey who seemed want to teach them 'how things worked down here'. Underground. Apparently monsters were real. 

There was a tugging in their chest and it grew  _ warm _ as Flowey did something. A red heart popped out and floated in front of him. They were mesmerised. It was pretty. And- and  _ important _ . Theirs,  _ them _ . Their very essence. Frisk looked to the side to see that their siblings also had hearts. 

Trace's was purple. Or violet. It floated in front of her steadily and… they could  _ feel _ it. The confidence, the energy, the  _ love _ and that unfathomable sense of…  _ lost _ . They felt sad that their sister truly  _ did _ feel that. Sometimes they thought they'd just imagined it. But despite it all it felt as though she wouldn't ever give up if she deemed something worth it. She'd preserve even if all else fell. 

Drew was looking at their Souls too and Frisk saw his was orange. Bold. Like him. And caring. Full of bravery and warmth and  _ protection _ . They felt safer just knowing their brother was there and watching, not fully trusting the being in front of them. 

The siblings tightened their unity, Souls unconsciously moving closer together and pulsing simultaneously. They were in sync. And they knew it. They always were. 

"You've got an interesting dynamic there", Flowey commented with that cheery smile. 

"Thanks, but can we move on? You were saying something about love", Drew asked curiously. 

Frisk followed the explanation with rapt attention and frowned at the… friendliness pellets the flower produced. They were kind of shaped like seeds and spinning. Definitely magic. Trace had stiffened. They noticed. Drew noticed. The pellets flew towards them. 

"Dodge", their sister hissed and they jumped to the right as Trace ducked and Drew went for left. 

No one got hit by the things. Their Souls thankfully followed them, as if bound by an invisible tether to their chests. Frisk looked at Flowey's annoyed expression and shivered. That… That didn't bode well. He sent more 'pellets' over. They dodged that too and grouped together again, Souls in a protective cluster in front of them. 

"Just run into the _ BULLETS _ \- friendliness pellets!", the flower ground out, slipping up with words. 

"You're shooting at us!?", Drew yelled, "That's so not cool!" 

It was then the flower changed into something horrifying. Black eyes with white pinpricks and a crazed black mouth that was… jagged somewhat to seem like teeth. Frisk was too terrified to really focus on what it was saying, grabbing at his siblings. A white ring of bullets surrounded them all and closed in on different heights so they couldn't escape and- 

Trace was doing something. Her presence, her  _ Soul _ , reached out with magic and Frisk felt something of the same stirring inside theirs, filling them with a voice that told them it was  _ unacceptable _ to die here. They formed a ring in sync, Drew grabbing their hands and Frisk grabbing Trace's, facing all of the bullets head on. 

Souls pulsed as one. 

They acted despite the fear, overcome by determination, the will to say  _ no _ . 

" _ D _ o _ w _ n h _ e _ r _ e _ i _ t' _ s  _ KILL o _ r _ b _ e _ KILLED! _ ", the demonic voice crowed. 

Determination rose as their hands tightened, wills becoming one, an echo of each other. 

**_WE REFUSE!!!_ **

Their Souls pulsed again, purple, red, orange, filling the air around them with magic that thickened into a shield full of  _ their _ colors that blended into white. But then there was a fireball and a distorted scream and the bullets vanished. Their concentration shattered and red vanished from the shield, orange following soon after, purple dropping it to turn to the newcomer. Their Souls' presence sank back into their chests, warm and comfortable and somehow…  _ new _ . 

"What a terrible creature, targeting such poor, innocent youth", their savior was a goat with paws that walked on two legs and had violet robes, voice somehow welcoming and motherly, disappointed in the flower. 

The trio huddled close together warily. But… Frisk glanced at Trace whose posture was more relaxed, relieved. So the goat woman wasn't a threat to them. Not right now at least. 

"Are you alright, little ones?", she kneeled down to their level with an outstretched hand and a gentle smile. 

Her eyes… Her eyes said she…  _ cared _ . A lot. Frisk didn't think they'd seen that look on anyone but their siblings. Drew had noticed too if his hand gingerly grasping the big paw-like hand was any indication, smile growing on his face. 

"Thank you for saving us!", he said gratefully, like he did to the flowers. 

"My, aren't you a charming one", the creature chuckled before introducing herself, "I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins", she rose to her feet and looked over them all, something sad flashing in her eyes, "Are you three siblings?" 

They all looked at each other and back to Toriel, chorusing, "Triplets" 

For the first time in a  _ long _ time the response wasn't a creeped out expression but a surprised laugh and a warm smile. Frisk couldn't help smiling back. Neither could their siblings. 

"Come on, children. I will guide you to somewhere safe where that flower can't bother you" 

And… Frisk trusted her. They followed willingly. 

xXXx

Toriel was just as warm and friendly as Trace remembered her being the last time she'd been born as the fallen child. Motherly and helpful, loved to teach and have them as company. She insisted they stay with her even if she only had two bedrooms for children. They told her they didn't mind sleeping on the same bed. She brought them two mattresses to disabuse them of the notion. 

Her butterscotch cinnamon pie was heavenly. She taught them games and how to catch bugs, told them about monsterkind and how to approach them, healed Drew's constant scratches and bruises from running around recklessly. She was exactly the motherly figure Trace's siblings had wanted, had needed. 

After the first day with the caretaker they'd held a conference on what to do. 

They were safe here in the Ruins. They  _ wanted _ to stay in the Ruins, Frisk wanted it the most and Drew wanted it almost as much. Trace was almost content with whatever the two decided. She wanted to stay a while too. Drew had other concerns, like the trafficking ring they'd escaped and left to roam the surface. He had a strong sense of justice along with his bravery. Then again, they'd left so many clues around they hoped the police could do something. Frisk's concerns centered around why there weren't monsters on the surface. And what Flowey was doing. 

In the end Trace decided that they would stay as long as they could be content here and hopefully get answers from Toriel. They needed more information to venture further. She had learned not to rely on her knowledge from other lives too much. Not that her siblings knew anything else than that she was a little bit different from them. 

They played with froggits and other monsters, coaxed wimsuns to sit with them and offered them candy, bought spider donuts and spider cider (their creeped out first reactions to ' _ of _ spiders' was mitigated by Trace telling them that web flour and spider magic and venom were the ingredients, i. e. the spiders weren't feeding their cousins to them) with the gold they got from what Toriel explained as 'encounters' and what they got from her… They also befriended Napstablook and hung out with him when he came to visit the Ruins. Trace had learned how to summon her Soul, finding her magic, and was teaching them how to do so. There was lots to do for the first week they lived with Toriel. 

"Auntie?", Drew asked one day, "Don't you have anyone else for company?"

Toriel had agreed to let them call her Auntie Tori when they'd asked on day three. Right now she seemed hesitant to answer. They waited it out. 

"Well… There's a friend who I've traded jokes with…", she trailed off and smiled at them wistfully, "But I have you three here now…" 

The trio exchanged glances and Trace frowned up at her worriedly, "That's no reason to neglect a friend. We can take care of ourselves" 

It took some convincing but they got Toriel to visit her friend through the stairs she'd said they weren't allowed to go down. That was too bad. They'd have liked to meet the friend. But Toriel seemed happier after speaking to them so they weren't  _ too _ disappointed she didn't let them come with. 

However… the Ruins… were small. There wasn't much to explore and they fell into a stale routine. 

For the moment they liked it there, looking forward to speaking to Napstablook and finding out how things were out there. After three weeks they decided they  _ could _ live here contently for some amount of time but… not forever. Even less so after finding out the monsters were trapped underground. They discussed the situation with each other the day they found out. 

One more human Soul would be needed to break the barrier. 

While they might have donated their Soul if they were alone with no one to return to… No. They couldn't do that now. None of them was content giving up either of their siblings. So they learned to make their shield at will. Learned how to make a barrier around their Soul so it would be at least somewhat protected. Trace started experimenting with magic and their bond with each other to see if there was something else they could do. 

Then… Flowey appeared. It had been a bit over a month now. He was seething at them, threatening to kill Toriel if they didn't do it. To make their lives here  _ very _ unpleasant if they didn't leave. Because he was  _ bored _ of them playing house.

The triplets decided it was time to move forward. They were quite certain that Flowey  _ wouldn't _ really kill their Aunt but he  _ would _ do something drastic soon. 

It would be hard to leave her. Harder still since they were only about 99% sure Toriel would be okay. But… they could make protections with their magic, or so Trace had found out. The hardest part would be telling Aunt Tori they needed to go. They just hoped their resolve and determination would be enough to let her let them leave. 

xXXx

They stood together within their shield dome and withstood the magical fire Toriel was throwing at them in her desperation. To keep them here. To keep them safe. The siblings knew by now that it was basically a monster custom to solve arguments with encounters, to settle disagreements with magic. Toriel wasn't  _ truly _ trying to hurt them. She needed to keep them here and not die on her. 

Frisk told her they wouldn't fight her. But they  _ needed _ to go. 

Her soul was screaming  _ why _ . Why couldn't they stay. Why did they want to throw themselves to danger. Weren't they happy? She couldn't understand why all of her children wanted to leave her. 

Drew explained. The flower would do something drastic like start killing other monsters if they stayed. That they wanted to see the barrier and figure out if they could do something for monsterkind. That there was something they needed to see done on the surface. 

Aunt Tori didn't want to accept it. She tried to counter their reasons, told them that they would  _ die _ out there. That they couldn't get out anyway. She couldn't protect them outside. 

Trace pulsed their shield to gently sniff out some of the fire. She told her they could protect themselves, had done it their whole lives so far. They could do it a little while longer. She promised her they would come back alive and call every day. 

The goat's attacks petered down and stopped. She dropped down on her knees and the children rushed up to hug her, Frisk telling her she was the first one who ever cared so much for them, Drew blabbering on and on about Napstablook telling them about the other side and how she shouldn't worry so much. Trace just nuzzled into her fur and told her that if they had to be safe, she would have to be too. Aunt Tori let out a sad chuckle that told them all she doubted she'd ever see them again. 

"Auntie", Drew said solemnly as they drew back to look up at her before chorusing, "We'll be fine"

Trace gave her a stern look, "Just,  _ please _ answer our calls while we're out there. At least some of them. We worry about you too"

There was conflict in her eyes that told them she was scared. That she thought she'd regret both answering and not answering. That they might call her one moment and the next they'd be dead. Nonetheless, she nodded. 

"Don't worry, we won't leave your phone alone!", Frisk told her, teasing. 

Finally she smiled a small and wistful smile, "Oh, you. I'll miss all of you" 

Drew flung on their backpack as they stepped closer to the door and the trio chorused again, "We'll miss you too", in a tone that said they'd be back. 

And then they were out the door in chilly air and ankle deep in snow. The trio looked around in awe for a fleeting moment before focusing on straight ahead where a path seemed to be leading. Frisk, in the middle this time, grabbed their siblings' hands and started walking ahead. They had monsters to meet and things to discover. 

xXXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There now exists a CHRONOLOGICAL CYCLE LIST with LINKS! It's the 3rd chapter in ETERNAL CYCLE: MINDSCAPE which is the 20th fic in this series.


	2. Meeting the Skele-Bros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They left the Ruins and meet their Auntie's friend.

It didn't take long for Frisk to succumb into the urge to make a snowball. This, of course, made Drew follow example and scoop up his own pile of snow before teasingly tossing it at Frisk's back. Trace watched in amusement as her siblings started an impromptu snowball fight, walking forward at a slower pace while glancing at the woods occasionally. She could only guess at where Sans was at the moment. 

Though she  _ thought _ she could feel  _ some _ magic that wasn't a natural part of the environment. 

Well. There was nothing for it. 

"Hello?", she called out, "Someone's there, right?" 

Frisk and Drew were at her side in an instant, shielding her back and looking around warily. They'd dropped the snowballs and Drew had put his hands to his armpits to keep them warmer. Frisk had been smart enough to use their long sweater sleeves as gloves. Somewhere, a branch cracked. 

The siblings' heads snapped to that direction. No one. 

"Hey! We know you're here now, so stop scaring us and come out!", Drew shifted on his feet, planting himself more in front of his siblings. 

Trace put a comforting hand on his shoulder and he relaxed just a little. She eyed the woods, felt something  _ shift _ right behind them and whirled around with her siblings following with a little  _ too _ much of a hurry. Drew stumbled back a little. Frisk cried out and fell to their butt. Trace stared up at the skeleton with a happy lurch in her chest she tried to hide. She had a feeling  _ something _ shone through either way. 

"what, never seen a walking skeleton before?", the monster in a blue hoodie, black shorts, and pink slippers asked jokingly. 

The girl triplet shook her head with a suppressed smile as her siblings gaped. 

"We… haven't seen a  _ talking _ one either", Frisk admitted a little shyly as they stood. 

Drew stepped next to them and looked the skeleton up and down with a slightly stunned expression, "We haven't seen one, full stop" 

Sans was just about a head taller than them. He was smiling lazily but his eyes were guarded, assessing. She couldn't blame him. It would be hard to meet one human with all the stories and prejudice rattling inside his head. And the possible time stuff added on top, well. Life was hard. Hmm. Maybe she could alleviate some of it. 

"Knock knock?", she tried. 

The skeleton blinked in surprise, which made her siblings stare, before it turned into delight. 

"who's there?", he asked. 

She thought fast, "Niece"

"niece who?" 

Trace glanced at her siblings who got the message and grinned. 

" _ Niece _ to meet you!", they chorused. 

The whole thing was a pretty lame joke. It was so worth it to see him laugh. Trace smiled as her siblings laughed with him. She liked seeing them happy and not scared. 

"So you  _ are _ Aunt Tori's friend", she said, pleased. 

"yup. i'm sans. sans the skeleton", he introduced himself offering a hand to her. 

She eagerly took it and laughed at her siblings' stunned faces as the handshake farted. They had definitely decided they liked Sans as they tried to think up puns and jokes and he threw back twice as many. Somewhere along the line they forgot to introduce themselves. The skeleton didn't ask either. Though he might've gotten the names with some of their small shenanigans within the Ruins they told him about. But the  _ pun _ had to come to an end sometime. 

Drew asked what he was doing here. And… Sans told him he should actually be on the lookout for humans. They shared a glance and congratulated him for finding  _ three _ . The skeleton just waved them off, claiming he wasn't really that interested in capturing anybody. Thus began their introduction to Papyrus in which Frisk hid behind a convenient lamp, Drew dove behind a convenient sentry station, and Trace dug out a convenient white blanket to burrow into. She then proceeded to be a fake snow poff. Sans snickered at that one. 

Papyrus later turned out to be great fun. He talked like he was full of himself but actually cared about the people around him so so much. It was admirable. They completed his puzzles one by one, goofed off to amuse him, and Drew got him into a game of tag after one puzzle. Sans seemed to have the time of his life with how energetic his brother was. Trace knew the feeling. 

They ended their fun at a long bridge with a ridiculous trap you  _ couldn't  _ get through with their meager physical capabilities. 

"I don't like this", Drew had muttered to them as Frisk clung to his sweater nervously. 

Trace's hand found his shoulder again and stared ahead, assessing, "He's not gonna activate it" 

Her siblings instantly relaxed as Papyrus announced just that after a long stare down. They started walking over the bridge with a hint of fascination. And slight fear because it reminded them of their last fall. They got to the other side and Papyrus informed them he'd be up ahead preparing to capture them. The trio exchanged amused looks. 

"hey, uh. thanks for going along with this", Sans started once they reached the other side, "my brother hasn't been this happy in ages" 

"No problemo!", Drew grinned, "He's cool!" 

"the coolest", the skeleton agreed. 

He then reminded them to look out for blue attacks and left them to it since he had 'stuff' to do. They blinked and he was gone. Trace had a glint in her eyes that her sibling instantly gravitated towards. She wordlessly reached up and pulled her pigtails free, leaving her hairstyle exactly the same as Frisk's. The two grinned. 

(But. Before they went to fight Papyrus they decided to explore Snowdin. It was a nice little monster village) 

xXXx

One of the triplets walked up to Papyrus. They looked like Frisk. They listened patiently while Papyrus listed all kinds of reasons to be friends before remembering he needed to get to the Royal Guard. He wondered a little where the other humans were. Then they started dodging the skeleton's attacks, letting a few of them hit, and then pretended to get captured. Papyrus took them to the capture zone… Ehm. Garage. 

Then another of the triplets walked up to Papyrus. They looked like Frisk. Papyrus thought they'd escaped the capture zone and promptly defeated them again. He took them to the garage, which looked empty. He left them there. 

The third of the triplets walked up to Papyrus. They also looked like Frisk. Papyrus realized something. Something about  _ why _ the human kept escaping jail. 

"YOU… JUST MISS SEEING MY FACE SO MUCH…", he paused in his thoughts, "I'M NOT SURE IF I CAN FIGHT SOMEONE WHO FEELS THIS WAY. BUT MOSTLY… I'M GETTING REALLY TIRED OF CAPTURING YOU!" 

Frisk smiled at him and raised their arms. A universal gesture for pick-me-up. Papyrus correctly interpreted this as a sign that they didn't want to fight. He was… disheartened. But then Frisk told him they'd like to be his friend. Happiness levels seemed to shoot upwards at breakneck speed. 

That is, until, "Um. Can we first get my siblings from the capture zone?" 

"...Wait, WHAT!?!?" 

And so Papyrus found out he not only had captured three different humans but also got three friends in one go. He was so happy he made three servings of spaghetti with the triplets rushing about the kitchen and trying to help him  _ not _ put unmentionables into the sauce. It was decided they would teach him how to  _ properly _ cook at a later date. 

Right now, though, they were tired and slightly damp from snow. So… 

"Sans?", Drew asked. 

"Paps?", Frisk continued right after. 

"Can we stay for the night?", Trace asked for all of them, "We can't afford the Inn for three" 

The skeleton brothers were way too nice and agreed immediately. They cuddled on the couch and watched Mettaton's show or traded jokes with Sans until they fell asleep. 

xXXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Another chapter! Though it's a bit shorter than the one before. I don't know when the next one is coming out since school stuff and other stories. Motivation might lag. Also, I haven't really planned this one at all... It's more like, this Cycle exists? So I wrote some of it? 
> 
> Basically, ideas would be welcome?


End file.
